"What am I even doing?" Lila shuffled her way through the old cellar, searching for the attire Ivy had requested. "Surely we can't get any sillier than this."
She could.
Stopping in front of a series of coat hangers, Lila spotted her prize with a bashful smile. She wasn't even sure how her body managed, the way it autonomously wiggled its way out of her shoes as the girl's plaid skirt began to slide down her pale legs. In fact, Lila couldn't even believe the speed at which she removed her top and replaced it with another.
The girl began to think she had gone insane.
Was I always like this?
Maybe I was just always eager to be seen.
By someone I care about.
As more than just some flat dweeb who jokes like a boy.
"Wow." Lila huffed, staring at herself in the nearby mirror. "I look pretty good."
She had chosen a red sleeveless shelltop along with a matching skirt, its pleated surface ending just below her upper thigh. There was an option for spats to go along with her attire, but choosing to embrace the moment, Lila opted out. She was far too excited to play it safe.
"Ah-...heckin...yea." She grimaced nervously. "I'm doing this. I sound like a corporate character. But I'm doing this."
Lila turned to leave, zipping her way out of the cellar and towards the bedchambers. She would have made good time even in her bare feet if not for a single figure that stood in her path.
Rena.
The Earthling soon found herself frozen in place with an awkward grin.
"H-hi," Lila mumbled. "Shit."
"What the fuck are you wearing?" Rena turned, barely able to process the girl's speed. "Lila?"
"I umm...wow." Lila pointed at the ground. "The floor here appears to be made out of floor."
"Are you...slutting out?"
"Whomst'd've."
Rena cocked her head, hiding most of her face in her ragged hood. "What?"
"Don't judge me."
"I mean...I'm not. I literally did that as a job, remember?"
"Yeah, and you date Alia," Lila smiled.
"We're not dating."
"You totally ogle."
"That was a one-off."
"Aw, come on, when you get back to your kid, bring a wife with you!"
"Sush." Rena rolled her eyes. "Though...I can't lie. You do look good."
Lila blinked as fast as she could, her hands clasped together. "Really?"
"Yeah. Got a nice skinny stomach. Flat tits make for a cute figure, too."
"Hey, not everyone can be as blessed as Lunae."
"About that." Rena crossed her arms.
Shit.
Lila was trying to avoid the topic, not dwell on it. But perhaps it was inevitable. She was done running anyhow.
"She's an alien princess, isn't she?"
"I mean...wasn't it kinda obvious?"
"You don't get it." Rena shook her head. "The twins did some mind-sweeping while Alia and I made space. They found keywords like 'weaver' and 'goddess of lies'. This Lunae girl, as cute as she is, comes from some serious muck."
"What, like some royal mellow drama?" Lila shrugged. "I think you don't get it. Lunae is obviously a rebel. She's not like her lineage, or however you say it."
"She could be using you."
"I could say the same for Alia. Do you know where she's from?"
Rena turned away. "Ugh."
"Come on. It's okay. We both fell for it. Those girls swiped the exotic face card, and we trust them."
"You're just saying that. You really trust Lunae."
Lila stepped closer. "Yeah, and you really trust Alia. It's just how things are."
"I trust you as well." Rena placed a hand on Lila's bare shoulder. "Just...keep the crazies off me, okay? I'll do the same."
"Even if Ivy's on the team?" The Earthling cocked her head with a worried frown.
"Yes. I got over it once I saw that thing gun for her. She's in the same boat as my people."
"Gee, thanks," Lila beamed, offering a fist bump. "You're a great friend, Rena."
"Yeah, I know I am."
She returned the gesture with her own.
"Now go get your flat ass out of here," Rena chuckled. "To your poly, or whatever it is."
"Hey!" Lila blushed. "It's not a...don't ya'll got one?"
"Hell no. The twins have no interest in that."
"So you tried. Hehe."
"I did not."
"Also, how come I don't know anything about them?"
"Who, the twins? Get used to it. I've barely gotten them to acknowledge me as a friend. They're real softies if you get in close enough, though."
"So I can't just walk up to them?"
"Nope."
"Shit."
"Especially not like that."
"Oh sush."
- - - - - - - - - -
"You changed again." Sonera smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything till now."
Lunae brushed her hair over her shoulder, her breath hitching as she spoke. "I'm glad you like it. Lila was an enjoyer too. She's just trying to help you know."
Sonera scooted in, letting her weary neck rest against Lunae's shoulder. She could feel a tail wrap around her leg, squeezing her with that familiar affection. It was nice to have a moment of calm.
"Lila is just as vulnerable," Sonera grunted. "I have to keep her safe."
"When I woke, I found you sprawled out on the floor," Lunae huffed. "Ivy was the only one keeping watch over us."
"And she deserves my respect for that."
"Don't you realize? Sonera, you aren't invulnerable."
"It's not about that. Or my pride. When I fought your people...I saw him. It gave me strength. I slew their leader."
Lunae pursed her lips, nudging her cheek up against Sonera's temple as she began to speak with her mind.
"It's not him."
"I...I know." Sonera sighed. "It's...I just wish I-...nngh."
"We don't have to talk about it."
Her voice washed over Sonera like a calm tide. She had seen the confines of the assassin's mind before, almost reveling in the opportunity to piece it all together. But in another act of defiance towards her mother, Lunae was willing to let it go.
She could let those fragments of pain and manipulation settle. Figure themselves out. Because the last thing Sonera needed was another string to tug her along.
At least that's what she hoped for.
Sonera rested in peaceful silence, closing her eyes as the fragrant scent of her partner covered her in sublimity. It helped in small ways that Lunae's hair was a bit damp, proving she had somehow found the time to sneak off and clean herself. The lengths that girl would go to for her appeal were almost comedic.
But then again, she wasn't the only one.
"Oh my." Lunae placed a hand to her mouth. "Lila..."
"I uhh...this was Ivy's idea."
Sonera took a groggy peek, her cheeks flush with red as the sight of the Earthling came into view.
"You look...hehe." Lunae giggled almost uncharacteristically. "My goodness."
The princess snapped her fingers, encasing their corner of the room in a dome of blue light, perfectly obscuring them from the outside world. It was the sort of privacy she felt they needed, given the irresistibility of Lila's attire. For in no way would Lunae allow words alone to paint the picture.
"Pretty," Sonera spoke rather bluntly. "Very pretty."
"T-thanks." Lila scratched her freckled chin. "I wanted you guys to see."
"Do a twirl." Lunae smiled. "If you would kindly."
Lila obliged, the fringes of her skirt flowing upwards as her friends imbibed in the satisfaction of their own sight. Between her skinny figure, her pink navel, and the freckled spots along her gracefully exposed rear, the Earthling had achieved a level of enchantment that rivaled Lunae. Such was a truth that not even Rena could deny.
"Hehe." Lila chuckled, her heart beating out of her chest. "Ya'll simpin."
"Oh, you." Lunae rose to her feet with a smirk, her tail coiling around the air in anticipation. "Come here."
Sonera could only watch with innocent amusement as Lunae pulled the girl in by her skinny wrists, trapping her in place with a rope-like tail as she knelt in front of her stomach.
"H-hold on-...woah there." Lila panicked. "I-I-shit-maybe we should like uh, admire from a dist-eek!" She flinched, feeling something wet glide across her navel. "Oh shit!"
Lunae had opened her mouth wide, allowing her elongated tongue to explore Lila's exposed front with frenzied fervor. With her tale keeping the girl restrained in a standing position, she made sure to enjoy every moment of it. Lila could do nothing but grunt and blush.
"Y-you gonna help!?" Lila looked to Sonera. "She's...ah!"
Sonera casually approached the girl, circling her with a serious stare. She took one brief look at her bloodied gloves with a shrug, and after removing them from her person, took to inserting her bare fingers into Lila's open mouth. It was then that the Earthling was truly finished.
"W-what are you-f-aaugh!" Lila slobbered, closing her eyes as her hands frantically twitched. "Nnnah!"
"Quiet now," Sonera whispered. "No more funny jokes from you."
We just did this!
Why is it worse!
Lila squirmed, her eyes darting around as a series of gentle pecks landed against her cheek. She could feel another hand lift her skirt, squeezing her bottom like a batch of dough. Only then did she really begin to moan.
"Sonera."
Ivy had strolled in, speaking in almost a bored tone.
"Hm?" Sonera answered with a serious, strategic glare.
"We need to talk."
"Understood."
It seemed they were on the same wavelength.
"H-hold on!" Lila gagged, her voice escaping as she managed to wiggle her way around Sonera's sticky fingers. "Ack!"
"Lunae will take care of you. I'll be back." Ivy waved before taking Sonera's hand. "Hang in there, Lila."
The Earthling shouted in one of her comedic expressions. "D-don't just STAND there! I'm getting JUMPED!"
"You're welcome, Lunae." Ivy shot a wink, altering her persona into something less serious. "Enjoy."
"Mhm." Lunae nodded, still focused on the task at hand.
Sonera would oblige rather easily, abandoning her work on Lila before leaving the bubble with the heiress. She understood the gravity of Ivy's private request, as well as the need to speak without the others. After all, it was she who had just finished stating what she felt to be the obvious.
Lunae and Lila were different.
"Shit!" Lila blushed, her legs quivering as something warm brewed in her stomach. "What is this?!"
"I'll be gentle." Lunae purred. "I promise."
"Nngh!" Lila tried to keel over, her body held in place by Lunae's tail. "Wah!"
It was a clever move from Ivy, trapping her curious partner in a trap of pleasure and relief.
What better way to ensnare someone with unrivaled speed?
"Now-now." Lunae pulled away for a moment, her irises narrowing like a serpent. "No more yip-yap from you."